Poll: Americans ready to fight global warming

WASHINGTON -- An overwhelming majority of Americans think they can help reduce global warming and are willing to make the sacrifices that are needed, a new poll shows.

After years of controversy, 71 percent of Americans now say they think global warming is real, according to a telephone survey of 1,200 people for the advocacy group Environmental Defense.

Conducted between Feb. 27 and March 2, the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points and was conducted by the firm Ayres, McHenry & Associates, which predominantly polls for Republican candidates.

The results include:

53 percent think warming is caused more by human activity than by normal Earth cycles.

70 percent think the effects of global warming can be reduced.

59 percent think their efforts as individuals can make a difference in global warming.

At least 90 percent are willing to take the following steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: recycle, turn thermostats down in winter by 2 degrees, caulk around windows, and combine driving trips when running errands.

This *is* heartening... I need to recommit myself as well... I've been doing things, I think, and I've tried for a long time, but I think we can all try harder. The problem with this is the standard pareto sort of rule... 80% of the effort put in by 20% of the people. If everyone made small efforts to curb consumption, it would have a dramatic overall effect....

It doesn't matter if global warming is real or not (which I believe it is, more than likely, real). If it isn't, we should still be taking steps to clean the air and preserve non renewable resources. Lots of good is done anyway with very little sacrifice or extra cost. If it is, and we don't do something about it, things could get very bad for the human race. And for those who don't care about making the planet better for their children or their children's children... well, you're just selfish bastards.

this is good to hear, but I doubt that Americans will be willing to make sacrifices like stop driving their brand new H2's or actively support more strict emission standards for businesses as well as worse punishments for businesses caught breaking pollution rules. I just don't think Americans are willing to fight to save the environment unless they don't really have to do much. And we'll have to do more than that to turn things around.

On July 25, 1997, before the Kyoto Protocol was to be negotiated, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed by a 950 vote the Byrd-Hagel Resolution (S. Res. 98), which stated the sense of the Senate was that the United States should not be a signatory to any protocol that did not include binding targets and timetables for developing as well as industrialized nations or "would result in serious harm to the economy of the United States". On November 12, 1998, Vice President Al Gore symbolically signed the protocol. Both Gore and Senator Joseph Lieberman indicated that the protocol would not be acted upon in the Senate until there was participation by the developing nations CNN. The Clinton Administration never submitted the protocol to the Senate for ratification.

[...]

The current President, George W. Bush, has indicated that he does not intend to submit the treaty for ratification, not because he does not support the general idea, but because of the strain he believes the treaty would put on the economy; he emphasizes the uncertainties he asserts are present in the climate change issue Corn, David (2001). Furthermore, he is not happy with the details of the treaty. For example, he does not support the split between Annex I countries and others.

this is good to hear, but I doubt that Americans will be willing to make sacrifices like stop driving their brand new H2's or actively support more strict emission standards for businesses as well as worse punishments for businesses caught breaking pollution rules.

Click to expand...

i do think the tasks asked in the poll aren't terribly hard on the consumer. after all, i do all those but really don't even feel like i'm trying.

Problem here though is the American people dont run its govt, the Multinational MegaCorporations do. Hence our president still insisting there is no global warming,ignoring the Mexico invasion and wanting Arabs running our ports. Pay no attention to those Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Warming Oceans and Melting Polar caps. Its all just not proven 3 years to go before the bum leaves.

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